Monday, November 19, 2007

Congradulations Mark Schubert, USC Swim Coach and Thank you.

I told everyone how I trained for the triathlon. I told everyone how I was inspired to be the best I could be by the USC students as well as the members of the swim team and the football team. They reminded me of what it takes to succeed in life. They played a big part in my training,in my studying and in my quitting drugs.

I am obviously very proud of this t shirt. It means alot to me. I feel I earned it. I miss USC.--------------------------I rushed to the Thouse at about 12:30 to upload the pictures of the USC shirt I took this morning. I also was feeling good about myself and remembered how good it felt to be a part of the USC environment.

When I came back here to do my write up, a janitor here, started belittling me and criticising me for not having a job. I am looking for work. He does not know that. I am also trying to develop something. He does not know that.

It hurt that I was being attacked by someone who was not minding his own business. I was attacked over a year ago with lies from people who were not minding their business.

As I said before, Skid Row is a reflection of society in general. You have every malady in the general society condensed and consolidated in Skid Row. That is probably why it is so hard to fix things. People do not want to dig deep enough to do it. I am beginning to see that Skid Row probably has a large set of Lobbiests just like the medical industry and any other industry. I do not know. I am just wondering out loud.

I was merely publishing the responses that people gave about Skid Row. I did not ask about the missions. I just had to say that. I think I will start to use the big quotes I see here. I will learn how to use those tonight. I learned how to link a particular page on a website today. Garza showed me and I remembered when I wanted people to read about Dara Torres, from my school.

Building self esteem is hard enough when a person has gone through things. I fought hard to rebuild my self esteem while I was doing drugs. It took a long time. USC played a part in that rebuilding. I am only sorry that my being a felon now will preclude me from working there. I believe I can keep athletes out of trouble and keep them focused. I believe alot of things.That is not the point. I am glad for Mark Schubert.

I was even reminded that I am old, at 53 and that people will not want to hire me. That may be true. But at my age, I feel young, I feel I am learning new things and bringing perspective to new things and how they may be of benefit in the future from the wisdom of old experiences.

I encourage everybody to do so. Today was another day in Skid Row. People try to make it. People try to reverse the progress of those trying to make it. People have their own issues. Keep them to themselves. I am trying to make people feel good while trying to make myself feel good. If I stray from that, let me know.

Yes. I forgot to say that Mark congradulated me when I became "swimmer of the month."He has no idea how much he, his coaching staff and his swimmers played a part in that and how much they are playing a part in my determination now. I remember what he told me.He swam at the "House of Bronze". I learned how to quit drugs at the "House of Schubert."

Feed It!

About Me

Living in downtown Los Angeles on a new adventure,
I landed on Skid Row in the month of February,2007, shell shocked and traumatized by the events of the previous months.
I entered a world full of many contrasts. Kind, caring supportive individuals. Cruel, blood sucking predators. Men and women who walk the streets with courageous dignity and those whose job it is to strip them of that dignity every day. A place of quaint warmth and beauty, and at the same time a harsh, cold and vicious jungle. I have experienced the toughest streets of Philadelphia and Harlem, New York as well as the shanty towns and favelas of Brazil. Yet nothing compares to what you feel when you are in Skid Row. Social Scientists from around the world come here to study it. Every social illness has its place in Skid Row. They come to learn about its effect on people. They leave learning more about themselves- their prejudices and the fear of what they do not know. There is nothing like it. This journal is about my experiences at the University of Skid Row.